Midnight
by RakishRexie
Summary: After a summer of racism and abuse, Harry returns to Hogwarts to find solace and, dare he say, love in someone he would never expect. Can he ever learn to love his skin again? (TW: ED themes, implied/attempted sexual assault, abuse.) [Hedric, Harry x Cedric] Cedric doesn't die.
1. Are You Okay?

**Note: This first chapter is in Cedric's point of view, but I'm planning to switch to Harry's point of view in the next chapter.**

 **Leave a review if you enjoyed, and if you didn't enjoy for a reason concerning my terrible writing style, feel free to leave a critique!**

* * *

Potter didn't seem normal. His normally very dark brown skin was looking more dull and pale, his face extremely gaunt, skeletal even, and his collarbone was protruding in an extremely alarming way through his uniform shirt. He seemed victim to mood swings, either being extremely passive and submissive or very irritable and fiery. Even his normally frizzy hair was pulled back in an extremely tight bun behind his head like a very curly Pom Pom, which just made his heart shaped face seem even more thin. Students in his house and others whispered about him, usually in more of a malicious manner rather than one of concern like Cedrics. "Heh, Potters really losing it… Guess his plan backfired, huh?" "I don't feel the least bit sorry for the scrawny midget, he's getting exactly what he deserved, the little attention whore."

Cedric usually didn't notice these kinds of things. He prided himself more on being fair and hard working rather than observant, but he had been watching the younger boy since the quidditch match third year closer than he usually tended to watch things, and he couldn't really figure out why… All he knew was that he was alarmed. This wasn't the Harry he was used to… He was always energetic, even if he did act a little to shy for someone with as much fame as him, but Cedric overlooked it. He actually found it endearing. It brought him immense discomfort to see the slighter boy in distress. Even his normally gorgeous bright green eyes were looking duller, with dark smudges of exhaustion beneath them.

It's just… shouldn't Potter be _happy?_ His plan had succeeded, his name had come from the cup and Professor Dumbledore had allowed him to compete. The only reason this couldn't be true was if Harry hadn't, in fact, entered his name, but Cedric highly doubted that. Sure, Potter was timid at times, but how much did Cedric really know about him? All of the papers said he was attention seeking, a rebel. Cedric seriously doubted that he could trust them, though, having met Rita Skeeter; A sly, cunning woman who would do anything to get the front page, even, dare he say, lie about a 14 year old boy?

Everything he knew from actually interacting with Harry discredited what Rita Skeeter said as well. Quiet and slightly reserved, yet kind, ardent, and modest, Harry didn't really seem to fit the picture Skeeter painted of him. Potter had looked very uncomfortable, in fact, when he had come into the back room after his name had come from the goblet. Scared, even. But the boy could handle himself, he was fine…right?

Cedric was jerked out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. The Great Hall was alive with chatter and gossip of various topics such as the champions, the upcoming ball, and the rapidly approaching first task. The dusty blonde haired boy turned to the source of the hand, Ernie Macmillan, a student in Potters year and Cedric's friend. They weren't close per say but Cedric liked him enough. "Take a look at Potter, Ced. He looks like a right mess, don't he?" The fourth year said gleefully. Cedric turned his head to look at the Gryffindor table and was confused by what he saw, if confused was even the right word...

Potter was sitting alone… Where were his friends, or at least Granger? He knew Weasley was having a fit about Potters name spewing from the cup, as was everyone else, but they couldn't stay mad at each other forever, especially with the first task coming nearer. This wasn't the only thing that irked him. Potter's face looked like stone, his brow furrowed and his eyes angry and slightly bloodshot as though he'd been crying. His hair, although still pulled back and just frizzy and messy as it normally was, was also tangled and kinky, strands tucked behind his ears and sticking up from his head. But Cedric couldn't help but find his messy curls attractive…

Oh God. _The boy is fourteen. You are three years his senior. What are you doing thinking about him like that?_ Cedric thought, sure it was just a one time thing and pinching his leg as punishment. He looked back at Ernie. "Come on, mate, don't talk about him like that. I thought you were his friend?" Ernie looked offended at that. "Sure, I used to think he was alright, but that was before the goblet. He could trip off the Astronomy tower and I wouldn't have one thing to say about it." The younger Hufflepuff said savagely, but Cedric doubted this was completely sincere. Cedric felt an odd pang in his chest at the insults being thrown at the dark haired boy but suppressed it quickly.

"Well, I don't exactly believe he didn't put his name in the cup, I'll give you that. It was a bit inconsiderate of him, but he's obviously made a mistake and bitten off more than he could chew, and I think we owe it to him to maybe leave him alone after what happened in his second year." He said, reminiscing about the Chamber of Secrets fiasco. "Besides, isn't the entire point of our house that we're fair and just or whatnot? You wouldn't wanna shame Helga Hufflepuff, would you?" He teased under the guise of nobility rather than concern for Potter. Ernie gave a sigh of endearment. "Always the noble man, Ced. All right, I'll leave him alone, but good luck convincing the others to quit teasing him." Ernie said, looking at the other students flashing their Potter Stinks pins toward the Gryffindor Table. "And I can't promise I won't wear those Support Diggory badges." He added as an afterthought.

Cedric rolled his eyes. "Guess I'll have to settle for that." He said, making up his mind. He was going to confront Potter. Of course, it was just him watching out for his fellow champion. Nothing else. Nothing at all.

* * *

Right as lessons got out Cedric rushed down to the potions dungeon to catch Potter before the fourth years left, which was a little later. He really hoped Potter hadn't skived off, he had noticed the green eyed boy had developed a habit of skipping potions and he couldn't quite blame him. Snape wasn't exactly the most friendly teacher, especially when it came to Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and a certain survivor of the killing curse who shan't be named. Right as he got there, though, he bumped into the small body of Colin Creevey, a tiny third year with a smaller first year brother. He remembered him, having had his picture taken by a muggle camera without his consent the second his name spewed from the goblet.

"Oh, Cedric! Perfect, this is excellent. I was just going to get you and Harry, you're needed for the weighing of the wands. Your pictures will be taken and you're gonna be interviewed by the _real_ Rita Skeeter!" Creevey looked extremely giddy, a maniacal glint in his eyes. "Isn't she amazing? I want to be like her someday, taking pictures like that, writing articles that influence the wizarding world…" Cedric wanted to say that Skeeter didn't actually take her own pictures, but now wasn't the time. He guessed he would see Potter sooner than later. "Just wait out here, okay? I'll go get Harry." Before the Hufflepuff could answer, the little Gryffindor entered the potions classroom, the door slamming shut behind him. Cedric winced… Snape was going to give him a good telling off.

About thirty seconds later, Potter and Creevey exitted the classroom, the fourth year's face noticeably red. Cedric saw the 'Potter Stinks' badges flashing from the inside of the classroom and loud guffaws coming from Slytherins… Yeesh, even though he believed that a house didn't determine your character, Malfoy was really _something._ He turned his eyes to Harry, who was even more flushed as he saw Cedric. "Cedric, Harry. Harry, Cedric. Now we better run, I was supposed to have you at the wand weighing three minutes ago!" Colin said, glancing at his clunky muggle watch.

As they walked to the spare classroom where photos would take place, an awkward silence fell upon them. Cedric tried to speak up, his voice coming out collected and calm, even though he felt anything but. "So, Harry, how do you think you'll do in the wand weighing? Take care of it?" Cedric asked, glancing down at the shorter boy. Harry looked up at Cedric, his face a bit less red. He noticed that Harry bit his lip, smoothing down his untamed hair, which immediately bounced back up again. Potter fidgeted with the tie pulling back his mane.

"Um… I think I'll do okay, yeah. I don't really polish my wand or anything, but it works great." He said quietly, looking down at his wand, which was covered in smudged fingerprints, as well as several small nicks and scratches. "The only thing I'm really nervous about is the pictures… If I had known that would happen today I wouldn't have come looking like such a mess." He said. "Besides, I never show up on pictures with shit lighting. My skin is too dark, it's like concrete…" The boy mumbled, flushing once again. Cedric was slightly shocked. Harry never seemed insecure about something like his skin tone, something Cedric found so gorgeous...

"I don't think your skin is concrete." Cedric blurted. Oh God, what was that? He was about to apologize when Cedric noticed a small smile tugging at Harry's lips. The short fourth year pulled his hair back tighter. "Thanks…" He said, looking at his feet. They walked in silence until they finally arrived at their destination, and Colin parted with a wave and a wish of good luck.

Cedric and Harry drank in the scene. Five chairs sat behind a velvet covered desk, each with one of the judges sitting in them. Ludo Bagman was present with a magenta robed witch that Cedric recognized as Rita Skeeter. He was surprised that there was no recognition in Harry's eyes at the sight of the reporter. Didn't he know her? She had published interview upon interview with Harry before… Cedric suspicion that Skeeter was a fabricator of news was growing more and more. Bagman bounded towards Harry, immediately bursting into conversation that Cedric couldn't help but eavesdrop on. "Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come… You to, Mr. Diggory. Nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment…" They continued their conversation until Skeeter approached. "Oh, Harry, this is Rita Skeeter. She's a reporter for the Prophet, and very famous one at that. She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet." "Maybe not that small, Ludo…" She said, her bespectacled eyes fixed on Harry, who looked slightly uncomfortable. The 14 year old didn't have time to say hello.

"Could I have a word with Harry?" Skeeter said, cutting to the chase. "I suppose, as long as it's okay with him…" Ludo said, nodding at the child. "I'd rather not-" He began before being cut off. "Great, follow my lead." She said, grabbing Harry's robed arm. Before she could pull the boy away Cedric placed a hand on her shoulder. "He said no." He said firmly. "Just, maybe you should listen to him…" He said, looking down at the boy, who was staring at Cedric with wide, grateful eyes. She stared at Cedric in shock before a small smirk appeared on her face. "Fine, then… We'll talk later, Harry." She said, looking the boy up and down before walking off, her heels clicking.

After that, the weighing of the wands commenced normally. Krum was brooding as usual, and Fleur was being her normal, French self. Harry seemed to be in a more passive mood and Cedric was trying to think of what he would say to him at the end of the interview. "Photos, Dumbledore, Photos! Rita, why don't we take a group shot, and then a few individual ones?" He said enthusiastically. "Er, yes, let's do those first- After that, I'd like a private shoot with Mr. Potter and Diggory."

Photos progressed slowly. They had to reshoot over and over again as Madame Maxime was constantly out of frame, overshadowing the entire rest of the group, and was refusing to crouch down. "I am not a dog! Zis is humiliation!" She would shout. Karkaroff tried to convince Krum to smile, but he had to settle for a halfhearted smirk instead. Fleur tried to stand in front but Skeeter was dead set on having Harry there despite his objections. "Let your hair down, Potter, it'll make for a much more casual picture! You don't need to be so tense." She said, pushing Harry in between Cedric and Karkaroff in an uncomfortable manner.

Cedric was most confused by the private photos she had taken of Harry and him together, but he consented nevertheless. After all, only in those photos did Harry smile the smallest of smiles, and, shockingly, made an effort to remove the dark smudges under his eyes. Cedric threw his arm over Harry's shoulder, grinning contentedly. Maybe Skeeter wasn't so bad after all…

When all was finished, Harry made haste to leave, but Cedric snagged him at the last moment, his 'mission' in mind. Harry stood, leaning back against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He was looking down at his feet. "What's up, Cedric?" He asked, glancing up at him before returning his eyes to his sneakers. "Well, I was… I was just wondering… Are you okay?" He asked, finally spitting it out. Harry whipped his head up, his grass green eyes slightly widened. "Like… What do you mean?" He asked. "Well… It's just… You've seemed so much different. You never have your hair down, your always tired, and you're terribly thin and pale… I was kind of worried about what you said about your skin, to. Like… Shouldn't you be happy? You're a _champion,_ I would be happy if I was your age. You succeeded, you got y-"

Harry's face turned cranberry red, his eyes narrowing. "Do you think I put my name in the goblet?" He said, stepping closer to the wall and refusing to meet the 7th years eyes. "Well, Harry… What do you expect?" He said, kind of surprised at the normally timid boy. "I expected you to believe me! To be my friend! I thought that you…" Harry's voice trailed off and he looked down at his hands before finally looking into Cedric's pale blue eyes. "Why did you treat me so nice if you don't think I'm telling the truth?" He finally whispered, his voice angry, yet tinged with confusion. The champion was shocked, this wasn't what he had planned. He opened his mouth but Harry wasn't having it. "Thank you for your concern, Cedric, but I am _fine._ Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to dinner" Harry said vehemently, tearing his eyes from Cedric. The blonde Hufflepuff wanted so dearly to ask _"Why? It's not like you'll eat anything."_ but he knew better. The curly haired boy threw his bag over his shoulder and stalked off, turning the corner quickly and vanishing from sight.

Cedric lingered for a moment. Potter's words bounced off the walls of his head. _Why did you treat me so nice if you don't think I'm telling the truth?_ Truth be told, Cedric didn't know why… maybe he really was stuck on Potter, a _fourteen_ year old. Whatever. All he knew for sure was that he had blown his chance.

He hoped Potter was stuck on him.

* * *

Harry practically threw himself onto the bench, his eyes stinging with tears that he refused to let anyone see. He fixed his eyes onto his plate which had a meager amount of vegetables spread around it. Harry hardly ate it, stirring his plate and mashing up his carrots despite the hunger gnawing at the inside of his stomach. His throat wasn't really working properly, a sob bubbling up that he swallowed down painfully.

He stared at the feast longingly, watching as others piled food onto their plates, chatting with their friends animatedly. He tried to focus on his goal, why he was doing this… _Tar skinned… Concrete… Midnight… A gorgeous face wasted on someone like_ _ **you**_ _…_ Someone like him, someone who had let them do that to him, didn't… No, _couldn't_ deserve food. Couldn't deserve to live a normal life.

He thought back to Hermione, who was stuck in the hospital wing getting her teeth fixed. He longed to sit in there with her, safe from everyone, safe from Diggory and his influence on him, who he had almost spilled his guts to… How did Cedric do that to him? How did he make him feel so safe when Harry was so scared of him?

And why did Harry kind of like it?


	2. Articles and Apologies

Rays of golden sunshine shone through the large window, the drapes pulled aside to let the soft autumn breeze in. The scent of maple leaves drifting through the room…

And then something shattered.

Harry bolted up in his bed, shoving his glasses onto his face. He fixed his eyes onto the remains of the broken picture frame on the ground, and then flicking his eyes up to face Peeves, who had an impish grin on his face. "Oops, did I shatter a portrait of you? Was it autographed?" The stout spirit said, giggling and flying through the air. Harry hurled the nearest pillow up at the poltergeist, missing narrowly as Peeves whipped through the air and shot through the ceiling. Harry sighed and glanced at his alarm clock, reading '6:45.' He grumbled and tried to go back to sleep for about seven more minutes with no results, finally resigning himself to getting ready.

Harry dressed, showered, and packed his bag. As he looked in the mirror he felt revulsion bubbling in his chest at the sight of himself tying up his wild hair, smoothing down the frizz that refused to lie down and finally deciding it was a fruitless effort. He stared at Ron's bed, listening to his shallow breathing longingly. The covers were drawn so that was all he could really do. He missed Ron, more than he missed anything this year, but he could never admit that. Ron would lunge at his vulnerability, he knew so. It just wasn't the same with just Hermione… Although he loved her and cherished their friendship, the moments they shared together were nearly devoid of laughter. It just wasn't balanced without Ron, without the glue that held those three together.

He pulled himself from his thoughts, exiting the dormitory rubbing his stinging eyes. He found himself thinking back to the wand weighing… His stomach churned and his cheeks flushed as he thought of Cedric, of what he had said to him… The Hufflepuff had treated him so kind, as though he was normal, as though he wasn't Harry Potter. And then it turned out he didn't believe Harry either. Harry felt anger boiling inside him, but it dissipated as he thought of the concern in Diggory's voice… Did he really like Harry's skin, something he despised… Was he really worried about him?

This idea was so foreign to Harry that he didn't know how to react when he had been in the situation. The Dursley's didn't bother to ask him about how he was feeling, the going ons of his school year, nothing. Harry felt hopelessly disconnected from them, from their lives. It didn't help, the way that they looked at him, eyeing his skin, ordering him to smooth down his hair. He didn't begin to feel shame during these moments until his classmates in elementary school began imitating these behaviours as well.

"I don't want to be Harry's partner, mum says his kind don't learn math where they come from…" "Aren't you supposed to have an accent?" "Get out of the sun, tar skin, before you melt!"

Harry had unusually dark skin for being mixed race, but his dad was extremely dark, so it made sense that he would be to, even if he was a bit lighter. He wasn't even proud when people exclaimed "You look just like your father!" anymore, as it reminded him of the burden he felt, the burden laced into his skin. He knew that people looked at him differently, treated him differently, and he longed to look like his mother, fair skinned and freckled… But that was ruined for him as well. "Your mum must've been a real whore to have settled for your nigger dad." Dudley had hissed, having walked in on Harry tracing his slender finger across his mother's photographed face. Harry had crumbled, but tried to defend her. That resulted in being locked in his cramped bedroom for two days, only being visited when they wanted to beat him and use his body. He didn't bother anymore… the violation hurt more than Dudley's insults.

He had been shocked when Cedric had uttered those words. "I don't think your skin is concrete." He said, stumbling over his sentence without the maturity and grace that usually adorned every word he spoke. And he had smiled, feeling a comfort with his skin that he hadn't felt before. But the fleeting feeling vanished when he had accused Harry of entering his name… Harry's pride had forced him to flee, to take out his anger on Cedric, someone who had been so kind to him instead of simply correcting him. He knew he was wrong…

But he couldn't help but still feel angry.

The Hufflepuff had led him on, made him think he believed him. Harry had trusted him, and maybe he would've confided in Cedric… he swallowed down the lump forming in his throat… if he hadn't proved he was just like everyone else. No use dwelling on it anymore, though. He needed to focus on surviving, maybe even winning, and he decided he would distract himself by throwing himself into the championship. He needed to live, and that was final. He didn't need to be thinking of gorgeous, kind Cedric Diggory… This task proved to be much more difficult than he thought.

The minute Harry entered the Great Hall he rushed for Hermione who was sitting at the Gryffindor table with her freckled nose in a book. "Hey, Harry. The owl post should get here in a couple minutes, I'm excited to read Skeeter's article…" She said off handedly. "Forget that! Show me your teeth, are you okay?" Harry asked, looking very guilty. "Oh, Harry, it's quite alright. Don't get me wrong, Malfoy was being a git, but that doesn't excuse you engaging with him… Anyways, my teeth are great, better than before, actually!" She beamed, smiling wide to show off her pearly front teeth, which were much smaller and normal sized than previously. Harry and Hermione grinned at each other and giggled, and Harry didn't remember feeling this at peace in ages.

Suddenly, a large cloud of brown, auburn, and gray swooped in through the open windows. Prophet owls swept through the tables, sticking their legs out and receiving sickles, knuts, and galleons in exchange for a rolled up newspaper. Immediately, Harry noticed heads turning and looking at him, then towards the Hufflepuff table, but none toward the Ravenclaw and Slytherin table where Fleur and Krum were seated. Giggling and wolf whistling filled the air and he noticed Cedric's eyes widening considerably as he caught sight of the cover. Harry began to sweat and hastily reached for a paper, dropping a couple sickles and a galleon into the Prophet Owl's bag. He wasn't prepared for what graced the front page.

 _ **Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter: A Triwizard Romance**_

 _By Rita Skeeter_

The title was followed by the moving picture that Skeeter had taken of Cedric and Harry. The 7th years arm was over his lithe shoulders, his head leaning on Harry's, who was smiling a tiny smile and looking down at his feet, his hand reaching up to fiddle with his dark, tight curls. The picture continuously looped Cedric's laughter and grin that Harry remembered oh so well. The fourth year skimmed through the lengthy article, which detailed the blossoming romance between protective Cedric Diggory and reserved Harry Potter, the romance in question having began during his third year when Cedric apparently had sat beside him all night and consoled him after he had fallen off of his broom.

They had then become inseparable, meeting in secret and sharing passionate kisses, Cedric sweeping Harry up in his arms in a loving embrace after he had returned from nearly being killed by Sirius Black. They allegedly had went on to camp out underneath the stars during the quidditch World Cup, being separated during the Death Eater incident only to be reunited when Harry's name came from the goblet. There was also a mention of Cedric defending Harry against Rita as she tried to interview him. Was that why she did this? She had even interviewed other students...

" _Oh, yeah, I would believe it. Harry and Cedric were chatting when I was taking them to the wand weighing. Diggory even complimented him, they wouldn't take their eyes off of each other." Says Colin Creevey, a third year Gryffindor who claims to be Harry Potter's friend. "It makes absolute sense to me, I can't believe I never picked up on it until you mentioned it!"_

Harry glared down the table at Colin, who gave him a thumbs up and a grin, completely oblivious to the brunette's embarrassment. The article ended with a brief paragraph about the other two champions, their names and schools misspelled and smushed into the last sentences. Harry felt a flush creeping up his neck amidst the guffaws and cat calling of the Great Hall. He looked at Hermione, who's hand was slapped over her mouth and eyes were widened, and then chancing a glance at Ron, who sat with a blank face, eyes skimming over the article. "Wow, Potter. Now I know why you've never had a girlfriend all these years. Saving yourself for Diggory?" Malfoy's snide voice called from the other side of the hall. Guffaws came from every direction and Harry felt his stomach turn sour. One mortified look at Cedric and he bolted, leaving gales of laughter and cat calling in his wake

* * *

Harry avoided class for the rest of the day until he got roped into a herbology lesson. This was _very_ unfortunate because it was one of the only classes he had with the Hufflepuffs, who weren't very keen on seeing Harry. In fact, Ernie Macmillan, who Harry was usually on okay terms with, laughed loudly when Harry dropped his pot on the ground, sending a magical soil (bewitched to grow plants at an extremely rapid pace) flying everywhere, causing a potted mandrake to age rapidly, leaving the poor creature a deformed elder who had the pimples of a teenager.

He left the greenhouse in a hurry, ignoring Ron and bidding farewell to Hermione, who was off to dinner, which Harry didn't bother to attend. The laughter of children wasn't a sweet sound today. He knew it was petty, blatantly ignoring his redhead friend, but he wasn't exactly in the best of moods. He just prayed that he wouldn't come across-

"Hey Potty, your star crossed lover isn't here to protect you, is he?" A malicious voice broke through the air.

Oh _shit._

* * *

Cedric had finally escaped the horde of Hufflepuffs that insisted on tailing him everywhere he went, who glowered at and occasionally hexed anyone who dare bring up the article. Oh god, _the article._ Cedric groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead as he walked through the deserted corridors. He hadn't been able to get the image of the angry Harry from yesterday out of head, but now something even worse was plastered all over his brain: A horrified Harry, disgusted by an article about them. Cedric was disgusted by the article as well, don't get him wrong. Sexualizing a fourteen year old is abhorrent. But a small… Well, a considerably large part of him wished that some of the details of the article were true…

Great. Now he couldn't get the image of Harry underneath him, his back heaving and Cedric's hands holding down his shoulders out of his damned mind. This was even worse… he still couldn't believe the article had some legitimacy to it. He just hoped it wasn't one sided. He sighed and swatted away a little beetle that was crawling on his hand absentmindedly… and then a stifled scream bounced through the halls.

Cedric immediately tensed, straining his ears to hear what was going on. He heard the unmistakable sound of something being slammed into a wall, the ground, who cares. All Cedric knew was that he was running down the hallway towards the sound, papers and whatnot tumbling from his bag. He turned the corner and skidded to a stop…

It was _Potter…_ and who was that? Someone was holding him up against the wall with a wand pointed under his chin, a green hemmed robe obscuring all but their pale blonde… _Malfoy._ Before he knew what he was doing, he was tearing the tall Slytherin off the Gryffindor, shoving him away, causing him to tumble to the ground with a thud. He advanced on the little git, staring down at his sneering face. "If I had any doubt about your little romance before, this definitely threw it out the window. You can expect my father to hear about this, you Hufflepuff faggot." Malfoy hissed, sneering and pushing himself to his feet, storming off.

Finally, Cedric turned to look at Harry, who was sat on the ground, his cheeks redder than ever. He looked up at Cedric, his face blotched with tears, green eyes wide with an underlying emotion he couldn't decipher. He said only one thing.

" _I'm sorry."_

 **(A/N): Hey, guys. I know this is a pretty sad fic and that it's frustrating to see Harry in such a self hate spiral over his skin, but I promise there'll be some fluff sprinkled about. Malfoy really is a git, isn't he? I used to totally love Drarry but now I can't stand it after re reading the books. Same with Snarry to, except for a fic that's very special to me, There's Nothing Else I Can Say. It's a treat, you should check it out if you like that pairing.**

 **Remember to follow, review, and maybe favorite if you were into this chapter.**


	3. Common Rooms and Kisses

**A/N:** Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for the wait, it's been a hectic week for me and I was having some major writers block that may or may not show. I'm planning on releasing new chapters every Friday from now on starting next week. Anyways, enjoy! Also, tell me who you feel whose POV I should include more.

* * *

" _I'm sorry."_

Harry trembled, letting the apology fall from his lips. Maybe it wasn't the best time, but it was all he could think to say, it was all that had been on his mind ever since he had stormed out on Cedric. Oh god, _Cedric._ The taller seventh year looked horrified at the state of Harry, whose face was burning and covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his thin body trembling like crazy. He couldn't believe it… He couldn't believe that Malfoy had overpowered him so easily… He couldn't believe that he had nearly done to him what he had prevented his uncle from doing for years, just in a few terrifying moments. He felt shame burning inside him, showing itself through the fat tears falling from his eyes that he hurriedly wiped away.

* * *

The silence was broken by Cedric. "It's fine, Harry. Just, what happened? Are you okay?" He asked, kneeling down to place a large hand on the smaller boys shoulder. Harry flinched and the Hufflepuff withdrew his hand, instead opting to just stand there as the boy moved his lips, just trying to say something, _anything_. "I… I was walking out of herbology, and he just found me… He said that you weren't there to protect me…" He mumbled, blushing once more. "It was weird… He was alone, I tried to yell but he just stuck his wand up to my neck and…" He trailed off, his hand brushing against his stomach. "He reached up my shirt." He said shamefully, looking up at Cedric through his thick eyelashes. "He's never alone, I don't… I don't want to think of what he was going to do…" His voice shook. He was on the verge of sobbing. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, covering his face with his hands.

"Harry, I said it's okay. We just… We just need to get you out of here. Let's go to…" Cedric's mind was a blank slate. He desperately tried to think of something, trying to seem sure of himself instead of stressing Harry out more. Oh, poor Harry… He knew that that Malfoy kid was bad news, but _assault?_ Harry was practically falling apart at the seams, especially since he had been chosen by the goblet. Just… Why did everything happen to the frizzy haired boy?

Cedric tore himself from his rampant mind, looking down at the distressed fourth year. "We'll go to the Hufflepuff common room." He said, sounding much more sure of himself than he really was. This got Harry's attention quickly. "WHAT? They HATE me there. Think about the stupid article! Rita Skeeter is gonna have a lot to say about you carrying me into your common room-" "It's either that or the hospital wing, Harry, and I'm sure you don't want to go there." Harry froze and zipped his lips, letting Cedric lift him up and support him.

Cedric actually was considering taking Harry to Madam Pomfrey. His eyes caught the fresh purple bruises around his wrists, but that wasn't the only thing that alarmed him. He stared at the yellowing bruises and the white scars on his arms and neck, which were usually hidden by the sleeves of his robes and the collar of his shirt… Where did he get those from? He made a mental note to alert the Mediwitch, or at the very least make sure that Granger was aware. They walked through the hallways in silence for about ten minutes until passing a painting of a fruit bowl and a few other food related paintings, signifying that they were coming nearer. Cedric heard a gasp coming from the smaller boy, looking up to see the common room entrance. They had arrived.

* * *

Harry's eyes roved around the basement corridor. He noted that the common rooms entrance was quite close to the kitchens, which did not surprise him. What did confuse him was that there were several wooden barrels spread out in front of a large door with the Hufflepuff crest on it. Suddenly, Cedric stepped forward, tapping some kind of rhythm on the center barrel for a good ten seconds. Harry waited, staring at the seventh year as though he was bonkers, until a soft hum was heard and the oak door swung open. Harry stared in awe into the common room, hearing an amused chuckle from Cedric. Finally, the taller student led Harry inside, and he couldn't be more impressed, though the Gryffindor in him would never admit it.

Inside was a round room with a low, sloped ceiling. The room was incredibly cozy and reminiscent of a badger's den, colored with comforting bee like colors of black and yellow. Two polished, honey colored doors led to the gendered dormitories, and the chamber was decorated with desks and chairs of the same shiny wood. Plants such as cactuses and succulents were spread about the quarters on shelves, bookcases, and the fireplace mantlepiece. Harry was comforted by the several patchwork quilts adorning the squashy couches.

He was thankful that few students were present in the common room, but dinner would be ending soon and people would be flooding in. They walked into the boy's dormitory mostly undetected, shutting themselves in for privacy. "So, what's your plan anyways?" Harry asked, looking up at Cedric, who seemed to be thinking very hard based on the expression on his face. "I was planning on keeping you here until Granger got out of dinner, and then I would… um…" He looked slightly uncomfortable, seemingly beating around the bush. "Spit it out, Cedric." Harry said, crossing his arms. "Well… I was going to have her take you to the hospital wing."

* * *

Cedric braced himself for a famous Potter moodswing, but it didn't come. Harry's arms just fell to his sides, his lips parting slightly. He noticed slight tears welling up in the boy's eyes, but Harry quickly wiped them away. The fourth year finally said something. "Okay. Just… Why are you so nice to me?" He whispered, a small, grim smile splayed across his face. Cedric was slightly confused… Did Malfoy knock a few screws loose in there? "Cedric, if you're going to send me there, at least answer me. It's just… Nobody treats me like you do. Normally."

"I… Just… I like you Harry. I like you a lot." Cedric stammered hesitantly. He felt heat rising to his face that he hoped wasn't visible, this was so unlike him. Nobody, not Cho, not any girl made him feel the way Harry, a fourth year _boy_ made him feel. He was usually so calm, so collected, but the Gryffindor made him set all that aside. Harry looked up at Cedric, eyes widened, lips pursed, a flush rising up his neck. Cedric took control of the situation. He stepped closer, placing a large hand on the back of Harry's head, tilting it up to make him face the Hufflepuff. The smaller boy let a small gasp escape, pushing his hands against Cedric's chest.

The seventh year leaned his head down and pressed his lips against Harry's, whose lips were soft and colored a light pinkish tan, contrasting against his dark skin. He felt the smaller boy melting into the kiss, his arms falling to his sides and his mouth opening to let Cedric's tongue graze his teeth. Their embrace tightened, Harry standing on the tips of his toes and Cedric still leaning down slightly. Cedric reached a hand into Harry's hair, undoing the tight bun and letting wild, black curls unfurl. Would this end, or more importantly, how did it even start? His questions were answered. The door to the dormitory swung open, a distressed voice filling the air.

"Oh, Cedric, I came as soon as I heard. What happened, is Harry oka- OH!"

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 **Geeze, I switch POV way to much... Sorry for the shorter chapter. Don't forget to follow, review, and maybe favorite. Remember, I like hearing from all of you! Thanks for reading, guys.**


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